Key-board attachment for musical instruments



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. JENKINS. KEY BOARD ATTACHMENT PoR MUSICAL TNSTRUMBNTS.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(N0 Model.)

. S. J BNKINS.

KEY BOARD ATTACHMENT POR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. No.'2801,043.

Patented June 26, 1883.

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X'Ilvexnor (f7 e @y A @i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SYLVESTER JENKINS, OF NORRISTOVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

KEY-BOARD ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming partI of Letters Patent No. 280,043, dated June 26, 1883.

Application fled August 26, 1882. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that l, SYLvnsrrnR JnNKiNs, ol' the city of Norristown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Musical lustruments, of which the .following is a speciiication.

My inventionhas reference to musical instruments which are adapted to be operated automatically; and it consists of a frame or table, which is attached to the piano, organ, or other keyed instrument, or supported upon the floor, and upon which and lengthwise with the keyboard is caused to move, by 'feed-rollers, a sheet of perforated paper, which repre- A sents and produces the'tune by permitting, as

it passes along, small lingers to fall into and rise out of the perforations therein, thereby releasing or securing the ends of short arms or levers which extend to the keys of the piano, organ, or other keyed musical instrument, which arms or levers, when free, are rapidly vibrated or oscillated by suitable means 5 furl ther, in the peculiar construction of the perforated paper, and in many details of construction, all of which are more fully set forth in the following specification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form part thereof. t

The object of vmy invention is the production of all possible music upon a piano, organ, or other keyed instrument by a cheap, simple, and purely mechanical attachment applied to the key-board of the musical instrument properi f In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of va musical-instrument attachment embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of same with partin section, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the perforated illusie-paper.

'y No paper could endure for any length of time the strain and chafmg if the `resistance of the keys were transmitted directly upon said paper; but by suitable devices the paper may be caused to throw into vaction a power suiiicient to overcome the great resistance and 'A give the required rapidity of movement to the operating parts. My apparatus for accomplishing this result may be described as follows: The arms orlevers M are pivoted at m to the frame B, and during the operation of the instrument they have a continual. inclination for rapid vibration, which is produced by springs L and crank K. These springs L, which give to the arms their vibrating tendency, are preferably so constructed that they give a uniform resistance to the crank shaft K and the driving mech anism generally, and thereby avoid the necessity ofalarge and inconvenient iiy-wheel. They should also be so constructed that the wearing of the bearings will cause no knocking or j arring while in rapid motion. Owing to the number of springs and the rapidity with which they move, they should also be constructed with a view to the least possible friction. These springs, as shown, are substantially of spiral construction, their focal. ends being secured to sleeves Zup on the crankK of the shaft K, which is supported in bearings in the frame B and carries on one end the band-wheel l and pref erably a small fly-wheel, l', as shown. Their free or outer ends are secured to the pivoted arms M, a little to one side of their fulcrums my. Vhen the ends of the levers or arms M are down, the eyes or focal ends of the springs L, in their spent or free positions, will be in a line with the crank-shaft K. Now, when the eyes of the springs are placed upon the I sleeves t on the crank K, it is readily seen that Vthe tension of the spring is the same in every part of the revolution of the crank, there be ing an equal tendency to the center of motion. As all of the springs are continually in motion, there is no resistance to overcome, except the steady friction on the bearings of the sleeves I and shaft K. lt is evident that with this construction there will be no knocking from side to side, but that all of the journals will follow the peripheries of their boxes.

One end of the arms M is provided with a projection, M, preferably of yielding matev guides are held by frame 0* and bar O. These arms M may be arrested at either eXtreme position of their oscillation or vibration by suitable latch-levers, consisting of shaft P, carry- IOO ing on one end the vertical rod P', provided with. the latching-foot p, and on the other with a downwardly-projecting oblique arm, I"', the shaft II. being journalcd on frame O2 and bar Q at q. They are each provided with a spring, It, which is adapted to throw the foot p above or over the extension when the same is depressed, the spring also keeping the arm I down upon the paper T. The armP has suflicient springing action to cause it to spring the foot p over and below the extension N when the same is raised, it being bent by the oblique Vface of the extension N in its upward movement. y

To remove and replace the feet is the ofice of the perforated paper T, provided with the perforations t of various lengths. The paper T moves in a line parallel with the key-board of the instrument, and is guided and supported by the frame A, which is provided at one end with means to feed said iiiiisicqizqiel', which means may consist of two leed-rollers, C I), the. l'brmer of which is supported in a frame, C, which is pressed toward the roller I) by spring or springs (li. The roller I) is supported in iixed bearings in the frame A, and its shalt E is provided on one end with a crank, D, or other means by which it may be rotated, and on the other end with a bevelgear wheel, F, which meshes with a bevel-pinion, secured to or rotating with a bandwheel, H, which in turn transmits motion to the wheel I on crank-shaft K by band J'.

The table or frame A may be provided with depressions S, into which the ends of arms lfl .may :fall when an aperture in the paper T admits thereof.

The paper perforated in an oblique line across its surface, as shown in Fig. 3 at x fr, which maybe considered the starting-line 'from which all future notes are laid off. As I prefer to construct my instrument, this oblique line would be equal to and parallel with the line formed by the ends of the arms I, and extends over a length of paper equal to the length of the machine, or so much ot' it as is covered with the arms M. All other papers have heretofore been perforated in lines at right angles to their length; but to use such paper it would be necessary to complicate the mechanism generally, and hence is not desiraable. I theretore consider the obliquely-perforatcd paper of great importance, and as a decided improvement upon all perforated music-papers heretofore manufactured.

'While in the drawings I have only shown four arms corresponding to four keys, nevertheless it is evident that there may be any desired number.

Various kinds of vibrating springs may be used, and the latehing devices maybe greatly modified, as I do not limit my invention to the speciic devices shown. After the paper T has been placed in position and the machine set in motion, the crank is rapidly rotated, giving motion to the springs L, and causing the arms M to vibrate rapidly when freed from the latehing -feet j). As the paper is I'ed through the rollers (l I) the arms IL are raised or lowered sufticient to latch or unlateh the arms M and enable them to operate the musi cal-instrument keys in accordance with the perforations ot' the paper. By suitable connections one or more of the arms may be also made to operate the organ-stops or the pedals. This invention is particularly valuable for pianos, as it is capable of rapidity of action, so necessary to produce the required effects.

Having now described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

I. In an automatic keyboard attachment for pianos, organs, &c., a series ofarms orlevers corresponding with the keys placed above and in contact with the same, and arranged to vibrate to directly operate said keys, in combination with spring mechanism directly and rapidly acting upon said levers to force them alternately up and down, and latehing meehanism to ifree or hold said `levers up or down in opposition to the spring mechanism, and thereby control the time and duration of their vibration, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In an automatic keyboard attaclnnent for pianos, organs, &c., a series ot' arms or levers corresponding with the keys placed above and in contact with the same, and ar-I ranged to vibrate to directly operate said key in combination with springs which are con* stantly changing their direction vof tension and continually tending to vibrate said levers. means to change the tension of said springs, latehing mechanism to free or arrest said vibrating arms, and means to control said latching mechanism in accordance with the music to be played, substantially as and vfor the purpose specified.

3. In an automatic key-board attachment; for pianos, organs, tvc., a series of arms cr levers corresponding with the keys and arranged to vibrate, in combination with sprin to vibrate said arms, latch mechanism to free or arrest said vibrating arms, and a traveling perforated paper to control said. latch mechanism, substantially as and `for the purpose specitied.

4. In an automatickey-board attachment for pianos, organs, &c.,aseries of arms or levers correspomling with the k cys, placed above and in contact with. the same, and arranged to vibrate, and spring mechanism continually tending to vibrate said arms, in eombin ation with a traveling perforated music paper arranged parallel with the keys, and adapted to control their action, substantially as and for the purpose speeiiied.

5. In an automatic key-board attachment for pianos, organs, &c., the vibrating arms or levers, in combination with a crank and sprin connecting said crank with said arms, the said springs being constructed, substantially as shown, so that they offer the same or substan tiallyT the same resistance to said crank during lOO IIO

d arms M, provided on the end with oblique projections N, means to guide and govern the eX- tent of their vibration, shafts l?, carnying arms P/Pl, and latch-feet p, springs R, perforated paper T, and means to feed said paper, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

S. The combination of shaft K', provided with crank K, springs L, pivoted arms or levers M, provided on their ends with oblique extensions N, shafts l?, carrying arms P P2,

and feet p, springs R, perforated paper T, feedrollers C D, and means connecting said feedrollers With the crank K, whereby both may be revolved at the proper relative velocities, substantially as and for the purpose speciied. y 9. The perforated sheet-music in which the perforations are arranged in an order from a line diagonally' across the paper, vwhereby it may operate laterally to a direct action through its mechanism to the keys, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

l0. A music-sheet for a mechanical musical instrument, having the means which effect the operation of the ysound-producing devices in any desired chord or combination. simultaneously, arranged in rows which extend obliquely to its length.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set hand.

SYLVESTER JENKINS,

Witnesses:

GHAs. S. JENKINS, O.' M. EVANS. 

